Amy Melvina Galland Thompson[1] Letter of 21 Oct 1859

(Page 1)

� Surrey

�� Mills�� October�� the 21� 1859

(embossed)�� Manteno�� Shelby�� County�� Iowa

Sister[2]�� I now take this opportunity of informing you that wee are all well at present except mother Gallan[3] she has bin quite sick for a bout a week with a very bad could (cold) but she is on the mend now.� Polly Jourdan[4] is hear now on a visit�� there all well.� Franklin[5] and his famly are well.� John[6] and Serelda[7] and the childrin are well.� Calvin[8], Amy¹ and the babe[9] are well.� Calvin⁸ is a living in the north grove in the house whare wee first lived.� Mr. Jourdans[10] lives on Cornelious Donhams[11] plase.� Franklin Rudd⁵ lives on the beany about a quarter of a mile belo whare Mr. Jourdans¹⁰ yoused to live he has raised enoughf of produce to keep kem this winter.� John Rudd⁶ is a living about four miles a bove on the Beany River he has a nice frame house built and is a doing very well.� Calvin⁸ raised a good crop anuf for him self and som to sell and so did John Rudd⁶.� Wee are a living in Manteno Reads town in the house that was built by Milton Beebe[12] he sould (sold) out and went to caners last spring and there took the small pocks (pox) and came near dying.� L G Tubs[13] and his wife[14] started last spring back on a visit to whare tha (they) came from.� Misis Tubs¹⁴ was thken (taken) sick and died while Gen Mr. tubs¹³ returned but he is now lying at the point of death their is at this presant time a considrable sickness thru out the country but mostly bad couls (colds).� Reuben Strong[15] and his family are well and a living in Manteno he has just brot his wife home to day him and Hannah Kemp[16] was maried last Saturday.

(Page 2)

William Reeds[17] family has bin quite sick but tha (they) are on the mend.� Mother Galland³ ses she is as strong in the Faith now as what she was the week before J J Strang[18] was shot and still wars (wears) the short dresses and Lous (loves ?) to as long as she livs.� She still respects the sabeth day and all ways will the neighbors seams to think as much of her as of any one.� The most of the Brothern that wee hav heard of lives in Wesconsin near vore and racine.� Curkindall[19] and his family livs near racine Wallworth county (Walworth County, Wisconsin) Grove Po if you want to hear from any of the folks that left beaver (Beaver Island, Michigan) just write to him.� Mother Galland³ is a living with me.� Father Galland[20] died with us.� Wee all remember our love to you all and want you to write to us as often as it is conveniant for you to write.� Sidney Rudd[21] makes it his home with us at present.� So no more.� Good by Pheby Tonpson[22] and Famly.� Elizza Jane Hancock² and Famaly.

�� Amy Galland¹�� A Melvina Galland¹

�� Polly⁴ ses kis the childrin for her Elizza Jane²

You must excuse my bad spelling and yriting for it is dark and I can hardly see.� I wish I could see you� I could talk a site more.� Elizza Jane² just think of me when you eat you shugar.� A M Galland¹

tel Melvina[23] that I want to see her oh I for got to speak about Benjamines[24] tha are well and wishes to bee rememberd�� Good by it is 10 o clock at night.

*�� *�� *

The original letter, on lined blue Surrey Mills paper, is on file at the Harsha House Historical Society in Charlevoix, Michigan.� This transcript and the associated endnotes were prepared by Bruce M. Kopf, 825 Lake Shore Road, Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan 48236.� Most of the endnote information can be found on the internet. Please send any suggested corrections to Bruce M. Kopf.

Created: 16 Aug 1996�� 1996 - 2006�� Revised: 08 Mar 2006

[1]� Eliza Jane�s sister-in-law, Amy Melvina Galland Thompson (daughter of David Galland and Druzilla Dragoo), b. 1838, d. 1866, m. 1856, Calvin William Thompson⁸�

[2] Amy Melvina�s sister-in-law, Eliza Jane Thompson Hancock Rudd Gebeau (daughter of Medad Thompson and Phebe Burnham Hobart²²), b. 1827, d. 1904, m. 1^st 1846, Solomon Hancock, m. 2^nd 1856, Sidney Rigdon Rudd, m. 3^rd 1860, Louis Gebeau

[3] Amy Melvina�s grandmother, Amy Furby Galland, b. 1789, d. 1877, m. 1808, Abel Galland²⁰�

[4] Amy Melvina�s aunt, Mary Ann �Polly� Galland Jordan (daughter of Abel Galland²⁰ and Amy Furby³), b. 1817, m. 1833, William Harrison Jordan¹⁰�

[5] Eliza Jane�s uncle, and first settler (1851) of Lower North Grove, Crawford County, Iowa Amander Franklin (Frank) Rudd (son of Erastus Rudd and Experience �Speedy� Wheeler), b. 1823, d. 1900, m. 1846, Elvira Louisa Chandler

[6] Eliza Jane�s uncle, John Randall Rudd (son of Erastus Rudd and Experience �Speedy� Wheeler), b. 1829, d. 1919, m. 1853, Serelda Jordan⁷�

[7] Eliza Jane�s aunt and Amy Melvina�s 1^st cousin, Serelda Jordan Rudd (daughter of William Harrison Jordan¹⁰ and Mary Ann �Polly� Galland⁴), b. 1834, d. 1918, m. 1853, John Randall Rudd⁶�

[8] Eliza Jane�s brother and Amy Melvina�s husband, Calvin William Thompson (son of Medad Thompson and Phebe Burnham Hobart²²), b. 1835, d. 1865, m. 1856, Amy Melvina Galland¹�

[9] Amy Melvina�s second child, William Henry Thompson, b. 1859, d. 1904, m. America Sales

[10] Amy Melvina�s uncle, William Harrison Jordan, b. 1802, d. 1889, m. 1833, Mary Ann �Polly� Galland⁴�

[11] First settler (1849) of Dunham�s Grove (Vail), Crawford County, Iowa, Cornelius Dunham, b. 1797, d. 1865, m. 1^st 1822, Sophronia Esther Blake, m. 2^nd 1839, Margaretta Scott

[12] First sheriff (1854) of Shelby County, Iowa, Milton M. Beebe (son of Isaac Beebe and Phoebe Wilcox), b. c1825, m. 1850, Leanah VanAusdall

[13] Manteno Merchant, Lawrence G. Tubbs (son of Thomas J. Tubbs and Matilda C. Long), b. 1827, d. 1896, m. Martha M. ____¹⁴

[14] Martha M. ____ Tubbs, b. 1837/8, m. Lawrence G. Tubbs¹³

[15] Amy Melvina�s uncle, Reuben William Strong, b. c1820, m. 1^st c1841, Hannah Galland, m. 2^nd 1859, Hannah Kemp¹⁶�

[16] Amy Melvina�s aunt, Hannah D. Kemp (daughter of Samuel Kemp and Sophronia ___ ), b. 1828, d. 1864, m. 1859, Reuben William Strong¹⁵�

[17] Eliza Jane�s uncle Levi Ward Hancock�s brother-in-law, and Manteno Blacksmith, William Willard Reed (son of John Reed and Rebecca Bearse), b. 1817, d. 1887, m. 1^st c1837, Eleanor Shafer, m. 2^nd c1867, Talutha I., m. 3^rd c1876, Skippie A. Lyons

[18] Leader of Beaver Island, Michigan Strangite Mormons, James Jesse �King� Strang (son of Clement Strang and Abigail James), b. 1813, d. 1856, m 1^st 1836, Mary Abigail Perce, m 2^nd 1849, Elvira Eliza Field, m 3^rd 1852, Elizabeth �Betsy� McNutt, m 4^th 1855, Sarah Adelia Wright, m 5^th 1855, Phoebe Wright

[19] Amy Melvina�s stepfather, Absolom Kuykendall (son of Matthew Kuykendall and Nancy Johnson ), b. 1814, d. 1900, m 1^st 1834, Nancy Deane, m 2^nd 1855, Druzilla Dragoo Galland

[20] Amy Melvina�s grandfather, Abel Galland (son of Matthew Galland and Hanna Fenno), b. 1787, d. 1857, m. 1808, Amy Furby³�

[21] Eliza Jane�s uncle and second husband, Sidney Rigdon Rudd (son of Erastus Rudd and Experience �Speedy� Wheeler), b. 1832, d. 1910, m. 1^st 1856, Eliza Jane Thompson Hancock, m. 2^nd 1864, Mary Prather

[22] Eliza Jane�s mother, Phebe Burnham Hobart Thompson (daughter of James Hobart and Experience �Speedy� Wheeler), b. 1809, d. 1893, m. 1824, Medad Thompson

[23] Eliza Jane�s daughter, Melvina Helen �Vina� Hancock MacNeill (daughter of Solomon Hancock and Eliza Jane Thompson²), b. 1853, d. 1928, m. 1874, Archibald MacNeill

[24] Not yet confirmed, but possibly Eliza Jane�s 1^st cousin, once removed, Lodusea Spencer Benjamine (daughter of Benjamin Franklin Spencer and Abigail �Nabby� Wheeler), b. c1817, m. 1842, ____ Benjamine

Home

�